president obama is expected to formally unveil his immigration proposal on tuesday. french and molly forces continue to make advances in their offensive to unseat islamist rebels from the north of mali. over the weekend, the france, mali operation to control of the key towns of timbuktu, sparking scenes of celebration in the streets. the u.s. meanwhile has confirmed plans to expand its military support to french soldiers in mali. there will now provide aerial refueling and aircraft to allow for a speedier deployment of troops to the battlefield. the obama administration has gone ahead with the military support, despite concerns around the violation of u.s. laws barring military assistance to governments that came to power through a coup. at the u.n. refugee agency spokesperson melissa fleming issued an appeal for more aid to mali and said civilians in the north are reporting ongoing abuses by the rebels. >> we are renewing our appeal for urgent scaling up of international aid for hundreds of thousands of people now displaced by the war in mali to prevent a now worsen